The state will shift to a two-phase system in accordance with regional case counts.
From the governor's medium page.
https://medium.com/wagovernor/inslee-announces-healthy-washington-roadmap-to-recovery-229b880a6859
Gov. Jay Inslee today announced “Healthy Washington — Roadmap to Recovery,” a COVID-19 phased recovery plan. Beginning on January 11, the state will follow a regional recovery approach with every region beginning in Phase 1.
“No one was untouched by the effects of the pandemic in 2020; many have and continue to suffer through no fault of their own,” Inslee said during a press conference Tuesday. “We aren’t out of this yet, but we are close to turning the corner on COVID-19 and this third wave of infection.”
Washington has avoided overwhelming the state’s health care systems throughout this pandemic so far through rigorous safety measures, such as physical distancing and masking, as well as social and economic restrictions. This new recovery system aims to safely ease some restrictions while also maintaining crucial hospital capacity, ensuring care for Washingtonians that need it and paving the way for economic recovery.
The regions are mostly based on Emergency Medical Services (EMS) regions used for evaluating healthcare services. There will be eight regions of four or more counties, divided according to available health care services based on metrics such as hospitalizations, case data and disease mobility.
The eight regions are as follows:
Central: King, Pierce, Snohomish
East: Adams, Asotin, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Whitman
North: Island, San Juan, Skagit, Whatcom
North Central: Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan
Northwest: Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason
South Central: Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Kittitas, Walla Walla, Yakima
Southwest: Clark, Cowlitz, Klickitat, Skamania, Wahkiakum
West: Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific, Thurston
“Our intent is to ensure that regions, the communities within them, and our state as whole have a balanced path toward recovery from the pandemic that relies on multiple key metrics that look at disease trajectory and health system capacity” said Deputy Secretary for COVID Response Lacy Fehrenbach. “This plan offers the start of clear way forward as we continue to slow the spread of COVID-19, while we get more people vaccinated over the next few months.”
Metrics
A region’s phase will be determined by the Department of Health (DOH) in response to four metric requirements. The final metrics for regions will be calculated on Friday, January 8 and will be effective January 11.
To go forward from Phase 1 to Phase 2, regions must meet all four metrics:
Decreasing trend in two-week rate of COVID-19 cases per 100K population (decrease >10%)
Decreasing trend in two-week rate new COVID-19 hospital admission rates per 100K population (decrease >10%)
ICU occupancy (total — COVID-19 and non-COVID-19) of less than 90%
COVID-19 test positivity rate of <10%
To remain in Phase 2, regions must meet at least 3 metrics:
Decreasing or flat trend in two-week rate of COVID-19 cases per 100K population
Decreasing or flat trend in two-week rate new COVID-19 hospital admission rates per 100K population
ICU occupancy (total — COVID-19 and non-COVID-19) of less than 90%
COVID-19 test positivity rate of <10%.
Regions that fail to meet two or more of the above metrics will be moved back to Phase 1.
The metrics for each region will be updated on the Risk Assessment Dashboard every Friday. Dependent on a region’s metrics, DOH will move into a new phase — forward or backward — the following Monday.
DOH and local health departments reserve the right to move a region outside of this timing, and additional phases may be added as the state’s COVID-19 situation changes with continued vaccine distribution and other changes in public health response.
“Our goal is to reopen our economy safely, and to do it as quickly as possible. Every week, we plan on tracking our ongoing progress in protecting our communities against COVID-19,” said Secretary of Health Umair Shah. “The governor’s new plan will allow all of us to understand what measures are being used for the path forward including when it makes sense to ease restrictions across the state.”
Phase 1
All regions will begin in Phase 1, because of current metrics.
Phase 1, for the most part, aligns with restrictions current in place for most counties today, with a few key exceptions. Indoor fitness and outdoor entertainment, for example, were both previously prohibited, but will now be permitted with restrictions.
Currently, all indoor fitness is entirely prohibited. DOH now believes that the state can safely allow appointment-based fitness and training where there is no more than 1 customer per room or 500 square feet for large facilities. This will allow gyms to schedule people wanting to come in to work out in a safe way to ensure activity during winter months. Masks and physical distancing are required.
Outdoor entertainment establishes will be permitted to reopen in Phase 1, including zoos, outdoor theaters and concert venues, and rodeos, among other outdoor venues. Operation must be by ticketed event only with groups of 10 maximum with a limit of two households. Timed ticketing is required, as well as facial coverings and physical distancing.
Indoor gatherings and indoor dining remain prohibited. Outdoor dining with a maximum of six and limit for two households per table is permitted with an 11:00 PM close.
Retail, worship services, personal services, and professional services — where remote work isn’t available—are limited to 25% capacity.
Phase 2
Once a region meets all four required health metrics for three of the four past weeks, they will be permitted to move from Phase 1 to Phase 2. This phase sees some relaxation in regulations, but masks and physical distancing are still required statewide for all activities.
Indoor social gatherings with people outside of the household begins being permitted in Phase 2 with a max of 5 people from outside the household and limit of two households. Outdoor social gatherings maximum in this phase is increased to 15 individuals from two households.
In Phase 2, indoor dining will be permitted with a maximum 25% capacity and an 11:00 PM close. All other indoor activities must also follow a 25% capacity limit. This includes retail, entertainment and groceries, as well as personal and professional services.
Indoor fitness must also follow the 25% capacity limit.
In Phase 2 moderate risk indoor sports and all sports outdoors gain flexibility to have league games and competitions, which will help ensure opportunities for kids to be active, which is especially important during winter months and as kids navigate virtual or hybrid schooling.
Outdoor entertaining may host groups of up to 15 with the two-household limit and an overall 75 person maximum. Wedding and funeral ceremonies and indoor receptions may take place following the appropriate venue requirements. Food and drink service limited to restaurant guidance.
Read the full phase activity chart here.
“It’s a new year, and COVID-19 is no longer new to us,” Inslee said. “We’ve learned a lot; we’ve struggled a lot; we’ve accomplished a lot. Washingtonians are undeterred. This battle continues, but the turning point is on its way.”
(2) State agencies adopt rules to implement Washington’s 100% clean electricity law.
New rules put state on path to greenhouse gas emission-free electricity by 2045
Washington state has passed another milestone on the path to 100% clean electricity. The Washington State Department of Commerce and Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) adopted administrative rules for implementation of the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), the state law passed last year requiring an electricity supply free of greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
The UTC and Commerce adopted the rules late last week after 18 months of work with stakeholders who represent the interests of residential and business customers, environmental and labor advocates, low-income and disadvantaged communities, and electric utilities.
The UTC rules apply to the investor-owned utilities operating in Washington — Puget Sound Energy, Avista and Pacific Power. The Commerce rules apply to 64 electric utilities in Washington, including municipal utilities, public utility districts and rural electric cooperatives.
Electric utilities in Washington must eliminate coal-fired electricity by the end of 2025, transition to a carbon-neutral supply of electricity by 2030, and source 100% of their electricity from renewable or non-carbon-emitting sources by 2045.
“This rule is one of the key pieces of one our most important policies for building Washington’s clean energy future. Ensuring that all customers and communities can have equal opportunity to participate in the benefits of 100% clean electricity was a top priority in developing the new rules,” said Commerce Director Lisa Brown. ”We appreciate the collaborative work by advocates, utilities and agency staff to develop these rules on time and with broad input.”
“These rules are the product of months of work by our two agencies, with valuable input from utilities and industry groups, consumer and equity advocates, environmental organizations, and others. We have made tremendous progress towards our clean energy future and look forward to working more with these stakeholders in the coming year,” said UTC Chair Dave Danner.
CETA sets the most aggressive timeline for 100% clean power in the country and contains several “groundbreaking” provisions. The Legislature and Gov. Jay Inslee enacted CETA in 2019 and directed the two agencies to adopt rules by the end of 2020 providing additional implementation details. Key legislative requirements of CETA include:
· Utilities must ensure an equitable distribution of benefits from the transition to clean energy for all customers and must make programs and funding available for energy assistance to low-income customers.
· Tax incentives for renewable energy development that encourage developers to pay prevailing wages and use a community workforce agreement or project labor agreement
· Electric utilities must adopt CETA implementation plans by the end of 2021 with targets for achieving CETA’s clean electricity requirements and prepare revised plans every four years.
· By the end of 2025, utilities must remove all coal-fired electric generation from their resource portfolios.
· By 2030, utilities must use a portfolio of electric resources that is greenhouse gas neutral. Under this standard, at least 80% of electricity must be from renewable sources or non-emitting power, and any use of natural gas to generate electricity must be offset by emissions reductions elsewhere.
· By 2045, utilities must use a resource portfolio that is 100% renewable or nuclear to serve Washington customers, with no provision for offsets.
The new rules address utility practices when planning for and acquiring new energy resources, promoting diversity among suppliers and contractors, calculating greenhouse gas content in their resource mix, facilitating public engagement in planning and procurement, assessing impacts of resources on vulnerable communities, and establishing caps for utilities’ spending in compliance with CETA.
CETA allows a utility to delay its progress toward these standards based on cost considerations. The adopted rules provide detailed requirements that must be followed by utilities that opt to use the cost provision.
Both the UTC and Commerce will continue their work in 2021 to implement CETA. Upcoming work includes possible rules to ensure that electricity purchased in interstate wholesale markets meets CETA’s clean energy standards.
Commerce’s rules and more information are posted on the agency’s CETA webpage: commerce.wa.gov/CETA.
Additional information on the UTC’s CETA rules and implementation is posted on the commission’s CETA webpage: www.utc.wa.gov/CETA.
The UTC is the state agency that regulates private, investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities in Washington. It is the commission’s responsibility to ensure regulated companies provide safe and reliable service to customers at reasonable rates, while allowing them the opportunity to earn a fair profit.
IN OTHER STATE NEWS HEADLINES:
Ecology revises Puget Sound net pen permits for steelhead.
Fecal Matters: No-contact advisory issued for Sinclair Inlet and Eagle Harbor, Kitsap County--DOE
https://ecology.wa.gov/Blog/Posts/January-2021/Fecal-Matters-No-contact-advisory-issued-for-Sincl
Governor Inslee appoints new Fish and Wildlife Commission members: Fred Koontz, Lorna Smith.
Land Transfer for Darrington Wood Innovation Center Approved by Board of Natural Resources.
(2) IN TODAY'S HEADLINE NEWS
WORLD HEADLINE NEWS
‘An unwanted prison sentence’ for seafarers stuck at home and stranded at sea.
Hundreds of thousands of seafarers have been on board for many months longer than planned, stranded at sea due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Six months after the problem was first revealed, many of them are still struggling to cope with the ongoing uncertainty.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1081482
Port explosion which ‘burnt hearts’ of Beirut residents.
Five months on from the devastating port explosion that killed over 200 people, and injured thousands more, the UN has invited Beirut residents to share their hopes and fears for the future of the city, and for Lebanon, which remains in crisis.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1081462
UN chief welcomes declaration on resolving the ‘Gulf rift’
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1081452
WHO chief begins 2021 with plea for ‘less politicking’ over health.
In a race to “save lives, livelihoods and end this pandemic”, the head of the UN heath agency said on Tuesday that it was important to remember COVID-19 was just one of a number of major disease outbreaks facing communities across the world.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/01/1081432
NATIONAL HEADLINES:
The Trump Administration Is Achieving Environmental Progress While Saving Taxpayer Dollars--WH press release 1.6.21
Secretary DeVos Quickly Makes Available an Additional $54 Billion in COVID Relief Aid for K-12 Students, Teachers, and Schools--US EDUCATION DEPT
HUD ANNOUNCES $10 MILLION IN CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS FOR RURAL AMERICA
Grants help national non-profits build capacity to create affordable housing and stimulate community development in rural areas--HUD
https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_21_001
EPA Releases Briefing Paper on Renewable Energy Waste Management--EPA press release
WASHINGTON (January 6, 2020) — Today, EPA posted a briefing paper outlining difficulties the U.S. will face recycling and safely disposing of the materials used for green energy technologies. Renewable Energy Waste Streams: Preparing for the Future examines the waste produced once solar panels, lithium-ion batteries and windmills reach the end of their useful life. This briefing paper identifies key challenges that America faces in the near future as the growing use of renewable energy technologies creates a new generation of materials that need to be recycled or properly disposed of in order to protect human health and the environment.
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-releases-briefing-paper-renewable-energy-waste-management
BUSINESS & FINANCE:
Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service Release Final Rule on Section 45Q Credit Regulations.
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm1227
Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, December 15-16, 2020.
https://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/pressreleases/monetary20210106a.htm
Eligible Paycheck Protection Program expenses now deductible--IRS
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/eligible-paycheck-protection-program-expenses-now-deductible
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR ANNOUNCES FINAL RULE TO CLARIFY INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR STATUS UNDER THE FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT--Dept. of Labor
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20210106
(3) IN OTHER HEADLINES...
Did Georgia Really Just Elect an Anti-Semitic Socialist Who Covered Up Child Abuse?--PJ MEDIA
Mike Pence's Electoral Predicament
The vice president is both thoughtful and capable, but he's powerless to overturn the election singlehandedly.---The Patriot Post
https://patriotpost.us/articles/76834-mike-pences-electoral-predicament-2021-01-06
US Capitol in Lockdown, Pence Leaves Joint Session as Protesters Surge---NEWSMAX
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/protest-electoral-college-capitol/2021/01/06/id/1004508/
Mitch McConnell Gives Fiery Senate Speech Rebuking Electoral College Challenge
"I will vote to respect the people’s decision and defend our system of government as we know it.”---The Daily Wire
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